Elastic girdle with unstretchable panels



Oct- 12, M A HERSHON ELASTIC GIRDLE WITH UNSTRETCHABLE PANELS Filed D80.18, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet l In uamur a, {haw Huwan [:24 ad J'f M 1965 M.A. HERSHON ELASTIC GIRDLE WITH UNSTRETCHABLE PANELS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2;

Filed Dec.

United States Patent 3,211,155 ELASTEQ GHRDLE Wl'lH UNSTRETQHABLE PANELSMichael Angelo Hershon, 593 George St, Sydney, New fiouth Wales,Australia Filed Dec. 13, 1962, Ser. No. 245,629 9 (Jlairns. (Cl.128-538) The present invention relates to girdles, corsets, panties,suspender belts and the like and has for its object the provision of anovel feature of construction for incorporation in garments of thiskind. The term girdle will be used in this specification for convenienceto include all the garments mentioned above.

One of the functions of garments such as girdles is to provide aflattening effect on the abdomen or other portion of the anatomy of thewearer and in order to achieve this effect many constructions have beenproposed, some of them involving very considerable elaboration in theconstruction of the front panel or other parts of the garment and theuse of a substantial number of thicknesses of material sewn or arrangedin diiferent ways. The present invention provides a very simple andeffective means of achieving the desired result.

The use of the present invention enables a garment to be constructedwhich has a slimming and controlling effect on the abdomen, buttocks orthighs of a wearer while avoiding the use of bones and separate layersof material which would tend to bubble and move after numerous wearingsor during the sewing process. In fact, this latter is frequently thereason for an early demise of foundation garments since the individuallayers of material very quickly become flaccid and bulge. Bulging isthen followed by creasing of the flaccid material and, since creases aredistinctly visible under outer garments, the foundation must bediscarded.

The present invention consists in a girdle made of portions ofelastically stretchable material and portions of unstretchable materialhaving at the front, side or rear of the garment and arranged so as toextend over a substantial area thereof, a piece or pieces of stiifeningmaterial secured to a portion of the unstretchable material of thegirdle or like garment by a bonding process, the nature of theadditional material being such that each piece when bonded to theunstretchable material of the garment provides an area of substantiallygreater stiifness than that of the rest of the garment and thereby canact to produce a flattening effect on a portion of the wearers body.

In order that the invention may be better understood preferred formsthereof are hereinafter described by way of example with reference tothe accompanying drawings in which all views are front views and inwhich FIG. 1 shows a girdle incorporating one embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 2 shows a diiferent embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates yet another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 shows the invention in still a further modification;

FIG. 5 illustrates still another embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 6 finally, shows yet one more modification.

In the preferred form of the invention shown in FIG. 1 the girdle lit)is constructed mainly from two-way stretch elastic material, beingprovided around its upper and lower edges with the usual reinforcingbands 11 and 12 and having at its front a panel 13 of unstretchablematerial such as poplin extending the full depth of the garment andhaving convex sides 14 so that its width increases up to a point about athird of the way down the garment and thereafter decreases to a minimumat the lower edge of the garment. The panel 113 may be provided with anydesired form of decoration or embellishment to give it an attractiveappearance.

On the inner side of the upper portion of the panel 13 described abovethere is bonded an additional piece of reinforcing fabric material 15.The material is constructed for bonding by any of the known processesand may, for example, include threads of cellulose acetate which ontreatment with a solvent enables the material to be bonded to anotherpiece of material by the application of heat and pressure. The materialis chosen so that when bonded to the inner face of the panel it providesan area which is considerably stiffer than the remaining portions of thegarment, while still being flexible. It is arranged so as to extend overa substantial area of the upper portion of the abdomen of the wearerwithin the area bounded on either side by the pelvic bones. It isarranged to extend downwardly only so far as will not interfere with thecomfort of the wearer when sitting or bending. In the manufacture of agirdle incorporating the invention the additional reinforcing piece ispreferably first sewn along the seam 116 to the material of the panel13, the bonding process being efiected thereafter in a conventionalmanner.

It has been found that a girdle incorporating the invention is veryeffective in its flattening action and that the nature of the materialused presents a smooth external surface. It should be noted that thiseffect is achieved in a particularly simple manner and that a garmentembodying the invention is relatively simple to manufacture.

The invention may also be applied to Suspender belts in which the frontpanel normally extends over only the upper portion of the abdomen and insuch a construction the reinforcing material would cover substantiallythe whole area of the front panel of the belt.

In FIGS. 2 to 6 there are shown panels which may be incorporated in agirdle according to the present invention in a manner similar to thepanel 13 of FIG. 1. Each panel consists of unstretchable material suchas poplin having bonded to it a piece or pieces of stiffening material.In each figure the area covered by stiffening material is indicated by aand the uncovered area by b.

In FIGS. 2 and 5 a central piece of stiffening material extendingsubstantially throughout the full depth of the panel is employed. InFIGS. 3, 4 and 6 a single stiffening piece arranged to extend over theupper portion of the panel is used.

In all the arrangements shown in FIGS. 2 to 6 the stiffening material isapplied by bonding and sewing in the manner described above.

It will be appreciated from the forms of the invention described thatthe shape of the piece or pieces of stiffening material is not limitedto any particular form. It is important, however, that the stiffeningmaterial shall not cover so much of the unstretchable material as todestroy the flexibility of the garment or make it uncomfortable in use.

The embodiments of the invention described above are given by way ofexample only and as those skilled in the art will readily appreciate, avariety of other embodiments may be easily devised within the scope ofthe invention as defined broadly above.

The invention may, for example, be applied also to the provision at therear or sides of a girdle of a stiffening panel constructed and arrangedin such a manner as to provide a slimming and controlling effect on thebuttocks and thighs of a wearer. Such a panel could be incorporated in aconventional garment or alternatively incorporated in a garment having apanel at the front in accordance with the invention.

What 1 claim is:

l. A girdle made of elastically stretchable material and having an upperhalf and a lower half, said girdle being provided with an elongatedpanel consisting of one single-thickness layer of soft, pliable,unstretchable material centrally located at the front of said girdle andextending over a substantial portion of the abdominal covering areathereof, said panel being joined to the elastically stretchable materialof said girdle and having top and a bottom, said panel having a portionof maximum width intermediate said top and said bottom and said portionof maximum width located in said upper half of the girdle, and a pieceof stiffening material consisting of one single-thickness layer ofadditional material bonded to at least said portion of maximum width ofsaid panel of unstretchable material and covering at least a part of thearea of said portion of maximum width, said layer of additional materialbonded to said unstretchable material providing an area of substantiallygreater stiffness than that of the rest of the said panel therebyproducing a flattening effect on a part of the body of a wearer whilepreventing said unstretchable material of said panel from becomingflaccid under the influence of repeated use and frequent laundering ofsaid girdle.

2. A girdle made of elastically stretchable material and having an upperhalf and a lower half, said girdle being provided with an elongatedpanel consisting of one single-thickness layer of soft, pliable,unstretchable material centrally located at the front of said girdle andextending over a substantial portion of the abdominal covering areathereof, said panel being joined to the elastically stretchable materialof said girdle and having a top and a bottom, said panel having aportion of maximum Width intermedite said top and said bottom of saidportion of maximum width located in said upper half of the girdle, and asingle piece of stiflening material consisting of one single-thicknesslayer of additional material bonded to said portion of maximum width ofsaid panel of unstretchable material and covering at least a part of thearea of the said pane-l, said single layer of additional material bondedto said portion of maximum Width providing an area of substantiallygreater stiffness than that of the rest of the said panel and therebyproducing a flattening effect on a part of the body of a wearer whilepreventing said unstretchable material of said panel from becomingflaccid under the influence of repeated use and frequent laundering ofsaid girdle.

3. A girdle made of elastically stretchable material and having a panelconsisting of a single layer of soft, pliable, unstretchable material atthe front of said girdle and extending over a substantial portion of theabdominal covering area thereof, said panel being joined by a seam tothe elastically stretchable material of said girdle, and a single pieceof stiffening material consisting of a single layer of additionalmaterial bonded to a portion of said panel of unstretchable material,spaced from said seam and covering a portion of the area of the saidpanel, said single layer of additional material bonded to the said panelof unstretchable material providing an area of substantially greaterstiffness than that of the rest of the said panel thereby producing aflattening effect on a part of the body of a wearer while preventingsaid unstretchable material of said panel from becoming flaccid underthe influence of repeated use and frequent laundering of said girdle.

4. A girdle made of elastically stretchable material and having a panelconsisting of a single layer of soft, pliable, unstretchable materialcentrally located at the front of said girdle and extending over asubstantial portion of the abdominal covering area thereof, said panelbeing joined to the elastically stretchable material of said girdle, anda plurality of pieces of stiffening material each consisting of a singlelayer of additional material bonded to a portion of said panel ofunstretchable material and covering a portion of the area of the saidpanel, each said single layer of additional material bonded to the saidpanel of unstretchable material providing an area of substantiallygreater stiffness than that of the rest of the said panel therebyproducing a flattening effect on a part of the body of a wearer whilepreventing said unstretchable material of said panel from becomingflaccid under the influence of repeated use and frequent laundcring ofsaid girdle.

5. A girdle made of elastically stretchable material and having a panelconsisting of a single layer of soft, pliable, unstretchable materialcentrally located at the front of said girdle and extending over asubstantial portion of the abdominal covering area thereof said panelbeing joined by a seam to the elastically stretchable material of saidgirdle, and a plurality of pieces of stiffening material each consistingof a single layer of additional material bonded to a portion of saidpanel of unstretchable material, spaced from said seam and covering aportion of the area of the said panel, each said single layer ofadditional material bonded to the said panel of unstretchable materialproviding an area of substantially greater stiffness than that of therest of the said panel thereby producing a flattening effect on a partof the body of a wearer while preventing said unstretchable material ofsaid panel from becoming flaccid under the influence of repeated use andfrequent laundering of said girdle.

6. A girdle made of elastically stretchable material and having a panelconsisting of a single layer of soft, pliable, unstretchable materialcentrally located at the front of said girdle and extending over asubstantial portion of the abdominal covering area thereof, said panelbeing joined by a seam to the elastically stretchable ma terial of saidgirdle, and a plurality of pieces of stiffening material in spacedsubstantially horizontal parallel relation to each other each consistingof a single layer of additional material bonded to a portion of saidpanel of unstretchable material, extending to said seam and covering aportion of the area of the said panel, each said single layer ofadditional material bonded to the said panel of unstretchable materialproviding an area of substantially greater stiffness than that of therest of the said panel thereby producing a flattening effect on a partof the body of a wearer While preventing said unstretchable material ofsaid panel from becoming flaccid under the influence of repeated use andfrequent laundering of said girdle.

7, A girdle made of elastically stretchable material and having a panelconsisting of a single layer of soft, pliable, unstretchable materialcentrally located at the front of said girdle and extending over asubstantial portion of the abdominal covering area thereof, said panelbeing joined by a seam to the elastically stretchable material of saidgirdle, and a plurality of pieces of stiffening material in spacedsubstantially vertical parallel relation to each other each consistingof a single layer of additional material bonded to a portion of saidpanel of unstretchable material, extending to said seam and covering aportion of the area of the said panel, each said single layer ofadditional material bonded to the said panel of unstretchable materialproviding an area of substantially greater stiffness than that of therest of the said panel thereby producing a flattening effect on a partof the body of a wearer while preventing said unstretchable material ofsaid panel from becoming flaccid under the influence of repeated use andfrequent laundering of said girdle.

8. A girdle made of elastically stretchable material and having an upperhalf and a lower half, said girdle being provided with an elongatedpanel consisting of one single-thickness layer of soft, pliable,unstretchable material centrally located at the front of said girdle andextending over a substantial portion of the abdominal covering areathereof, said panel being joined to the elastically stretchable materialof said girdle and having a top and a bottom, said panel having aportion of maximum width intermediate said top and said bottom and saidportion of maximum width located in said upper half of the girdle, and asingle piece of stiffening material consisting of one single-thicknesslayer of additional material bonded to said portion of maximum width ofsaid panel of unstretchable material and overlying a part of the area ofthe said portion of maximum width covering the upper part of the abdomenof a wearer of said girdle, said single layer of additional materialbonded to the said panel of unstretchable material providing an area ofsubstantially greater stillness than that of the rest of the said panelthereby producing a flattening efiect on a part of the abdomen of awearer while preventing said unstretchable material of said panel frombecoming flaccid under the influence of repeated use and frequentlaundering of said girdle.

9. A girdle made of elastically stretchable material and having a panelconsisting of a single layer of soft, pliable, unstretchable materialcentrally located at the front of said girdle and extending over asubstantial portion of the abdominal covering area thereof, said panelbeing joined to the elastically stretchable material of said girdle, anda plurality of pieces of stiffening material each consisting of a singlelayer of additional material bonded to a portion of said panel ofunstretchable material and covering a portion of the area. of the saidpanel covering the upper part of the abdomen of a wearer of said girdle,each said single layer of additional material bonded to the said panelof unstretchable material providing an area of substantially greaterstiflness than that of the rest of the said panel thereby producing aflattening effect on a part of the abdomen of a wearer While preventingsaid unstretchable material of said panel from becoming flaccid underthe influence of repeated use and frequent laundering of said girdle.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,393,612 1/46Bullinger 128538 2,462,295 2/49 Wittenberg 128-477 2,915,067 12/59Bracht 128533 3,064,655 11/62 Metz 128-646 ADELE M. EAGER, PrimaryExaminer. DELBERT B. LOWE, Examiner.

1. A GIRDLE MADE OF ELASTICALLY STETCHABLE MATERIAL AND HAVING AN UPPERHALF AND A LOWER HALF, SAID GIRDLE BEING PROVIDED WITH AN ELONGATEDPANEL CONSISTING OF ONE SIGNLE-THICKNESS LAYER OF SOFT, PLIABLE,UNSTRETCHABLE MATERIAL CENTRALLY LOCATED AT THE FRONT OF SAID GIRDLE ANDEXTENDING OVER A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE ABDOMINAL COVERING AREATHEREOF, SAID PANEL BEING JOINED TO THE ELASTICALLY STRETCHABLE MATERIALOF SAID GIRDLE AND HAVING TOP AND A BOTTOM, SAID PANEL HAVING A PORTIONOF MAXIMUM WIDTH INTERMEDIATE SAID TOP AND SAID BOTTOM AND SAID PORTIONOF MAXIMUM WIDTH LOCATED IN SAID UPPER HALF OF THE GIRDLE, AND A PIECEOF STIFFENING MATERIAL CONSISTING OF ONE SIGNLE-THICKNESS LAYER OFADDITIONAL MATERIAL BONDED TO AT LEAST SAID PORTION OF MAXIMUM WIDTH OFSAID PANEL OF UNSTRETCHABLE MATERIAL AND COVERING AT LEAST A PART OF THEAREA OF SAID PORTION OF MAXIMUM WIDTH, SAID LAYER OF ADDITIONAL MATERIALBONDED TO SAID UNSTRETCHABLE MATERIAL PROVIDING AN AREA OF SUBSTANTIALLYGREATER STIFFNESS THAN THAT OF THE REST OF THE SAID PANEL THEREBYPRODUCING A FLATTENING EFFECT ON A PART OF THE BODY OF A WEARER WHILEPREVENTING SAID UNSTRETCHABLE MATERIAL OF SAID PANEL FROM BECOMINGFLACCID UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF REPEATED USE AND FREQUENT LAUNDERING OFSAID GIRDLE.